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But perhaps inspired by the iconic British tea towel from the Seventies, called The "Ins" and "Outs" of Cricket, Miss Middelton's explanation could have been an attempt at satire.

'You have two sides, one out in the
field
and one in,' begins the well-known, but unattributed tongue-in-cheek tea towel description.

'It’s safer not to pretend to know the rules and just take
pleasure in the visual spectacle'

'Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when
he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out,' it continues.

The
self-described former WAG, who has had her fair share of watching the
game during her one-and-a-half year romance with
former England all-rounder Alex Loudon, admits in her column that her knowledge comes from being purely a cricket spectator.

'I’m afraid that, unlike with tennis, my relationship with cricket is
merely from the sidelines,' Miss Middleton says, adding that it is best not to take the sport too seriously.

'The
thing is, you don’t have to understand it to enjoy it.

Watching from the sidelines: The self-described former WAG admits in her column, however. that she her knowledge comes from being purely a cricket spectator

'In
my experience, it’s safer not to pretend to know the rules and just take
pleasure in the visual spectacle. . . I have many happy memories of afternoons
spent lying on the grass and hearing the satisfying clunk of leather
ball on willow bat.'

There is no doubt that Ms Middleton, bat in hand, looks perfectly polished in cricket whites and red lipstick, thanks to Vanity Fair's fashion and style director, Jessica Diehl, who transformed the former WAG into a chic player for the magazine's column.

And indeed, it seems Miss Middleton has a certain affinity for the sport's uniforms.

She enthuses: 'From Imran Khan to England’s current captain, Alastair Cook, there is a tradition of the sultry cricketer. . . effortlessly gliding a ball to the boundary, tousled hair blowing in the breeze, his whites signifying a purity of action—oops, I almost forgot myself. Better have a cup of tea.'